UKRAINE….

Nothing much came of the third annual summit with the European Union, which took place in Kyiv on July 23. President Leonid Kuchma, who is seeking re-election in October, criticized the EU for its import restrictions on Ukrainian steel and other products, and for its failure to live up to its 1995 pledges of aid for the replacement of the Chornobyl nuclear reactor. Kuchma was more restrained than usual in his remarks, however, and he made a pitch for a Ukraine-EU agreement of association, a first step toward eventual Ukrainian accession to the Union. The Europeans complained of Ukraine’s poor investment climate and failing economy. The Europeans did say they hope to draft a strategy for EU-Ukrainian relations by the end of this year, a tip-off, if one were needed, that there is no strategy now.